With 24 murdered in gang warfare in just the last 13 days, Rawlings-Blake is desperate for solutions to the mounting crime. Thus far this year 168 murders have occurred in Baltimore, whereas only 105 had occurred in all of last year.

“This is an ongoing fight and the criminal element on the street is not giving up, and neither are we,” Rawlings-Blake said in a press conference on Tuesday.

“We know that there is no way we can become a safer city without working together. That’s why these forums are so critical and we also know that despite all of our efforts over past two years, too many continue to die in Baltimore,” the mayor added.

“We want to hear the concerns, we want to hear the critiques, we want to hear the things that will inevitably make us better,” interim chief Davis said.

The mayor noted that meetings such as these in the past supplied the police with useful tips and ideas on how to interact and serve the city’s communities.

No schedule for these community meetings has yet been announced.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com